Lore
All written by Jomadis The island of Paradise has been around for thousands and thousands of years. Legend has it that it was created by the Gods and Goddesses of all religions to punish any mortals who do wrong by them. Many believed the island was once part of Greece, while others believe it came from Greenland, or South Africa, or America; no one really knows. In this journal, you will be able to read about the lore of Paradise! Geography/Weather: Paradise is a fairly large island, the village only takes a small portion. The main island is split into two parts, the North and South. The North contains a bit of rainforest, the village, a large field, a mountain range, and a large desert on the east side of the mountains (as well as some jungle and grasslands further south). The village is where all of the inhabitants of Paradise live. Each house is unique to its owner, Pan has a greenhouse, Huru has a farmhouse, etc etc. The house is not built by the villages however, a new house shows up whenever a new islander appears. The houses themselves are all different, they depend entirely on their owner's personality and preferences (although they cannot change once in place unless someone physically changes them). On the west coast of the island is where the newcomers first appear (marked by an 'X'). There are frequent visitors to the beach, so no one is missed (patrols are usually set once the house appears). Newcomers are brought from the beach to the village to be checked by the Paradise medic, Anat. Further east is a mountain range that bears no name, mainly because no one could agree on one. The mountains are not extremely tall, but higher than a bird will fly. Atop the tallest mountain lays the Offering Shrine. It is a large, white stone platform with two fires on either side. At this shrine, anyone can leave gifts or send prayers to the Gods for favors or gifts. Some gifts may be great (ex. Anat may wish for a powerful healing potion) while others can be dull (ex. Isamu and Jiro wished for destructive pranks, they received sneezing powder). Sometimes, the gifts do not work, it all depends on the God or Goddess. On the other side of the mountain range, at the base, is a cave. The entrance is incredibly hard to find, most beings give up within a few weeks. The cave has been dubbed 'The Crystal Cavern' because of the apparent abundance of crystals inside. Legend has it, that when an island approaches the middle of the cave, the crystal holding the answer they seek will glow the color of their eyes and show them a vision; after the vision, they awaken on the beach where they first wake up in Paradise. On the South half of the island, there is not much to see. The vast majority of it is covered by a large, dense jungle that is nearly impenetrable. Plants grow so thick around that many speculate there is something in there, just waiting to be found. Pan, the self-declared ruler of Paradise (although no one really listens to him), forbids anyone from going near the jungle. What is in the jungle? Is the extreme plant growth due to Pan's powers? What is he hiding? All the islanders know is that Pan would rather kill someone than let them in the jungle. Off the Northwest coast sits a smaller island. There is not a lot of vegetation on this island, mainly beach and grassland. Many inhabitants of Paradise use the space to play games or practice powers. The waters around Paradise are a gorgeous sapphire color. There are very few storms and most of the time, the water is calm enough to play in. There is something unusual about the water however, instead of flowing out into the horizon, it flows up. The shape of the water is similar to a sphere encasing the island. The water is constantly flowing and does not drip on the island as a constant rain (although it does occasionally rain to provide fresh water to the plants). Paradise behaves like a typical tropical island. It is warm almost year round (the temperature only dropping a bit when the mortal world is in winter) and it rains occasionally. Due to the sphere of water surrounding the island, no one can see the sky, but the sun does shine through. There is no snow or ice, only rain. At night, the water seems to lessen in force; at that time, the stars are visible from the island. Basic History: Paradise has been around for thousands of years, and everyone on the island does not age. Due to not aging, many inhabitants have been around for hundreds if not thousands of years. This can lead to a lot of cultural divide and makes communicating difficult for the inhabitants. Injury and death is possible on Paradise however, they can die. Although it is rare, there have been deaths on the island. Injuries can be caused by environmental factors such as falling from a tree, scraping their paw on a rock, getting hit by a piece of fruit, anything like that. Death on the other hand, can only be caused by another inhabitant. Suicide is not possible on the island, the Gods believed that it was a way out of Paradise. In order to die, another inhabitant must kill another with malicious intent. There have been escape attempts, although none were successful. Some examples of escape attempts include: Building a raft and trying to break through the water sphere, trying to swim through the water sphere, trying to fly out the top of the water sphere, trying to dig a hole in the island and walking under the ocean, and trying to threaten the Gods. All of these attempts were unsuccessful of course, you cannot get off Paradise easily. Some say that there is a secret way of Paradise, but no one knows where or how. Ex-Gods being sent to Paradise is very rare, but not unheard of. The most recent ex-god is Pan, the god of Nature and the Wilds. For annoying the Gods one too many times, he was sent to Paradise and stripped of his Godly powers. One of the ex-gods of the past was the Norse goddess Elli. Elli was the goddess of old age, and many believe that she sacrificed herself so that the future inhabitants could live forever. There have been very few other ex-gods sent to Paradise, but accounts of them have fallen into history. All kinds of beings are sent to Paradise, anyone from the smallest child to the most malicious murderer, it all depends on the “crime”. Any being can be sent to Paradise for any reason condemned by the Gods, no matter how minor or major. The Gods believed that if they sent the worst with beings who are not terrible, then they would be able to function as actual members of society. The point of Paradise is not to punish sinners for all of eternity, it is to change their perspective on the life they had and push them to make a change (while also still being a punishment). The Gods do not check on the islanders, they believe their lives are in their hands now. The village has been there as long as the first inhabitant has. It grew from the first house of the first inhabitant to the most current house of the newcomer. The village can be harmed by the islanders, it can be burned down or struck by lightning or any other power. Because of this looming threat, the villagers work together to keep the peace (not wanting to lose their homes). Whenever a villager dies, their house disappears as well. Current Island Information: Paradise cannot be overpopulated, it seems as if the island grows bigger every time a new inhabitant appears. The village also changes as newcomers arrive, a new house appears with the newcomer. Islanders also cannot reproduce, therefore there are no children (unless they were sent to Paradise as a child). The reason behind that is the Gods do not believe that the child is guilty of anything, so they could not stay on the island. Food is always plentiful on the island, so starvation is not possible. For the herbivores, there are plenty of fruits and plants for them to eat. There are large fields for grazing and rainforests for harvesting. For the carnivores, there are a couple of options. The ocean/aqua sphere provides fish and other aquatic life (such as crabs and oysters) to eat. On the island, there are smaller animals that lack the intelligence of the prisoners; these animals include rabbits, mice, voles/moles, small birds, and other rodents. These animals were believed to be put there by the Gods, but others believe they have lived there since the founding of the island. Most inhabitants do not feel guilty eating such animals, while some may turn vegetarian or become omnivores (some islanders even keep small animals as pets). There is no real leader of Paradise, everyone mainly works together to keep the peace. There is a self-proclaimed leader though, and that would be Pan. Pan believes that since he was once a God, that it automatically makes him their ruler. Most islanders ignore his “leadership” and just work together, but they put up with him so that he does not get angry. Paradise inhabitants work together so that there is not total chaos. On the topic of government, Paradise has laws. These laws were established by some of the very first inhabitants and are regarded with respect. The laws of Paradise are: No inhabitant shall kill another without reason No inhabitant shall attempt to form a government and rule Paradise as their own kingdom No inhabitant shall steal from another No inhabitant shall hold another hostage No inhabitant shall destroy the Offering Shrine If any of these laws are broken, it is up to the others to decide their punishment. Those punishments can be but are not limited to: Imprisonment (within their own house), work (ex. Building a new staircase to the Offering Shrine), or gathering food for the rest of the village. There are not jobs on the island, however certain inhabitants are tasked with certain positions. Anat is the current medic of Paradise, she sees to all of the injuries of the islanders. Jagoda is the current warrior/law of Paradise, any disputes are overseen by her. Pan is the current “leader”, he informs the inhabitants of new arrivals or new events on the island. Many islanders take it upon themselves to provide a service, whether it be therapy, training, cooking, anything, most feel it gives them a sense of purpose. On Paradise, no one can get back to their full potential. Some beings are weakened on the island, but some are strengthened as well. The powers they once had in the Mortal world have been stripped away forever, leaving them a scrap of what they had. No matter how hard they train, they cannot regain their full power. Through this training however, they may learn to harness their weaker power into a stronger method. Some beings are strengthened instead of weakened on the island. If they were missing a tail for balance in the Mortal world, they may be given the tail back on Paradise. While it may not be a power like the others, it still gives them a new advantage. With this tail, they may become great at acrobatics and agility. The Mortal World/The Gods: The mortal world is similar to ours, only it is inhabited by animals instead of humans (although there are still some humans). There are many different religions spread across the globe, so any religion is eligible for Paradise. The most common religions in Paradise are usually the ones of the “Old Gods”, or the Gods who get ticked off easily; these religions include Greek, Roman, Norse, Aztec, and many others. Atheists do not usually get sent to Paradise, they believe they can do wrong since there are no Gods in their eyes. The Gods and Goddesses that send the “sinners” to Paradise can be any form. Since they are all-powerful beings, their natural form cannot be seen by mortals. Instead, the Gods usually take the form of their patron animal (ex. Zeus as an Eagle, Frigga as a Great Horned Owl, Mars as a Woodpecker). Many believe that having certain dreams with such animals are visions sent by the Gods, usually as a warning or a prophecy. Others believe that the animal one is born to has a connection with a certain God or Goddess (ex. A mortal raven may feel they are connected to Odin). The Gods in turn, may not share this belief. In the Mortal world, powers are quite common. Powers are either innate or learned, stronger ones typically being the latter. Every family has their own set of skills and powers that can be passed on generation to generation, every generation either getting stronger or weaker. Offspring of two individuals of different powers will usually inherit one power while developing a resistance to the other parent’s power. Inheriting both powers is an extremely rare phenomenon, but it is not completely unheard of. On the other hand, magic and powers can also be learned. Books, schools, lessons, even how-to guides can help someone learn a new power. It is an incredibly difficult task, it takes years to be able to make any progress. Some individuals make great strides towards greatness this way, but it normally takes a lifetime. Because of this timeframe, many mortals do not bother learning new powers, instead they work on strengthening their natural powers.